Kmart joins Target in taking GTA 5 off Australian store shelves

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Kmart became the second major Australian retailer to remove Grand Theft Auto 5 from sale following a 45,000 strong online petition. In a statement provided to Kotaku, a spokesperson for the department store chain said it plans to take the game off store shelves "immediately."

"Following a significant review of all content in Grand Theft Auto games Kmart has taken the decision to remove this product immediately," reads the statement. "Kmart apologizes for not being closer to the content of this game."

Kmart's decision follows that of Target's to remove the Rockstar game from sale. In a press release yesterday, General Manager Corporate Affairs Jim Cooper said Target sanctioned the move after customer feedback "about the game's depictions of violence against women."

"We've been speaking to many customers over recent days about the game, and there is a significant level of concern about the game's content," Cooper said. "We feel the decision to stop selling GTA 5 is in line with the majority view of our customers."


As Kotaku points out, Kmart and Target Australia are both subsidiaries of the same retail group, Wesfarmers, though Wesfarmers has yet to make its own statement on the matter.

Australia has a long history with games censorship, though that history took a sharp turn in the opposite direction after the R18+ rating was passed in 2012. The rating, which GTA 5 was approved for, allowed mature games previously banned in the country to go on sale strictly for adult audiences. However, as ABC notes, the Australian Classification Board said it's up to individual retailers to determine which games they choose to make available.

Regarding Target Australia's decision, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick said, "We are disappointed that an Australian retailer has chosen no longer to sell Grand Theft Auto 5 - a title that has won extraordinary critical acclaim and has been enjoyed by tens of millions of consumers around the world. Grand Theft Auto 5 explores mature themes and content similar to those found in many other popular and groundbreaking entertainment properties. Interactive entertainment is today's most compelling art form and shares the same creative freedom as books, television, and movies. I stand behind our products, the people who create them, and the consumers who play them."

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Related Forum: Grand Theft Auto Forum

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/04/kmart-joins-target-in-taking-gta-5-off-australian-store-shelves/

Comments

"Kmart joins Target in taking GTA 5 off Australian store shelves" :: Login/Create an Account :: 62 comments

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Julianoz1224Posted:

Hollywood_Undead To the people who think this is right:

You're idiots.
This was caused by some stupid feminists who think GTA is about killing women.


This is the reason behind it all ^^^^^

TendPosted:

This games been out for a little over a year, there a bit late.

AE86Posted:

They are such over-sensitive ******, i mean the god damn game had a M 17+ game, that isnt enough?

KatsumiPosted:

GR33NV3N0M maybe we should remove all movies/tv shows that feature anything other than magical unicorns that shit rainbows!


No No that will not do, MAGICAL UNICORNS SET UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS TOWARDS WOMAN AND ARE YET ANOTHER SIGN OF MALE OPPRESSION !1!111!!1111!!!1!

XBL-ABPosted:

To the people who think this is right:

You're idiots.
This was caused by some stupid feminists who think GTA is about killing women.

BeetPosted:

I find it funny that some have petitioned for them to stop selling the bible too because of how horrible and violent it can be and preaches.

SwiftPosted:

Remember this, they are removing the stock of a RE-RELEASE of a game that came out last year, which they sold FOR A YEAR.

Come on, this is just insane. The only reason this is happening is because some feminist saw a 3 second video of some person killing a women with an axe in first person.

FriskyPandaPosted:

Tree hugger countries are going to do this. DO NOT FOLLOW THEM! **** tree huggers!

SmurfsPosted:

I think that this is kinda ridiculous. I heard about a week or two ago about Targets in Australia and I wasn't sure if it was true or not at first but I looked it up and it was. And now that Kmart is doing it too is even more ridiculous. At least gamers in Australia can still buy the game right on there Xbox and Playstation.

MissPosted:

slapshot101 I can honestly understand this, I mean you guys know there are quite a few messed up things in this game from drugs, to murder, and sexuality. I mean its surprising that it's the assault on women that they aren't too happy with because I can see a lot more things way worse. I really don't know of any bad scenes that I remember from the story except when Trevor is having sex when we first meet him.


That's called freedom of speech. These feminist just want power. It has nothing to do with the game or what they say is "promoting". They just want the attention and power that they achieved.